1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic power-measurement device, and more particularly to an electronic power-measurement device with an intelligent agent which is capable of being used in fields, such as electricity billing, in which an electricity provider provides electrical power to consumers, reads an electric meter, and then bills the consumers, a reference field of data of the electronic power-measurement device as a meter reader visits a corresponding site, remote inspection of electronic meters through various networks, such as a wireless network or a wired network, a power line communication network, etc., and a field for various additional-services using electrical power which are created in the future.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art electronic power-measurement devices have been implemented with an inherent hardware structure based on manufacturers thereof. The electronic power-measurement devices have disadvantages in that users must understand data structures depending on their hardwares in order to collect data for inspecting electronic meters or power additional-services. Therefore, when a meter reader visits a site and refers to data collected by the electronic power-measurement devices, he must previously understand hardware structures of the electronic power-measurement devices based on manufacturers thereof.
However, even if the meter reader previously understood the hardwares of the devices based on the manufacturers thereof, most of the devices do not have a function that desired data cannot be selectively provided to him, such that the meter reader is forced to collect all data, regardless of utility. Therefore it takes a long time to read an electronic power-measurement device, thereby increasing workload.
Also, since even unnecessary data are kept, many storage devices are needed. In addition, since only a necessary part of a large amount of collected data is selectively processed, expensive equipment with a large capacity are required.
Especially, in communication networks with a limited communication bandwidth, such as a wireless Internet or a low speed power line communication, when a large amount of data is transmitted thereto, probability of transmission error is increased thereby. Therefore, in order to prevent such a problems, greater communication overhead must be ensured. Such a situation causes deterioration of transmission efficiency when transmitting a large amount of data thereto, and high communication costs due to such relatively long communication time. Also, in an unstable communication environment, a large amount of data may not be transmitted thereto, such that the remote inspection of a meter cannot be performed.
Due to the above-mentioned problems, the prior art technology cannot easily perform the remote inspection of a meter since it can read only a relatively small amount of data of inspection of a meter while communication speed is reduced to a relatively slow speed to increase reliability of a communication network. Also, it has a drawback in that, when creating power additional-services, previously installed electronic power-measurement devices must be replaced with new devices complying with specific services.
Furthermore, in order to perform higher-level services such as remote inspection of a meter, additional works to assess internal data must be implemented based on manufacturers of the electronic power-measurement devices. Repair and maintenance, such as occurrence of current state or important event of the power-measurement device, must be additionally implemented.
As mentioned above, the prior art electronic power-measurement devices have disadvantages in that, when users access data, they must previously recognized hardware structures of the devices based on types and manufactures of the devices. Therefore, in a state wherein various types of electronic power-measurement devices are employed, when various power additional-services are performed through the remote inspection of the devices, the users must understand the hardware structures of the manufacturers and types of the devices each time. Also, when each system is developed, a common interface must be additionally developed too. In order to reduce such a burden and allow the hardware structure of each manufacturer as its know-how, the present invention is implemented such that an intelligent agent is mounted in the electronic power-measurement device to commonly assess data necessary for works, although the manufacturers of the devices and hardware structure based on types of the devices are different from each other.
Also, in order to minimize extraction of unnecessary data when assessing data necessary for works, as entire data structure of the device is previously designed as a tree form, such that each step of the tree can be used as address assess to corresponding data. As such a structure is employed, it is possible to select only data suitable to a high level service and selectively assess thereto. When communication infra with a relatively high speed is constructed through grouping of data assess, such environment can be maximally used.